Alejandro leaned back in his chair, a cigarette burning between his fingers, dulled blue eyes fixed on the ticking hands of his pocket watch. You were late. Not by much, but enough to make his jaw tighten.

He had spent years mastering control, bending the world to his will. But you—his obsession, his only weakness—were unpredictable. Untamed. Surrounded by people who didn’t deserve to breathe the same air as you.

Tapping his fingers against the desk, he exhaled slowly. He had been patient. But patience had its limits.

Perhaps it was time to stop waiting.